


Atlas

by Irhaboggles



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Atlas - Freeform, Greek, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Maid, Mythology - Freeform, V3 - Freeform, dr, dr v3, kirumi - Freeform, tojo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggles/pseuds/Irhaboggles
Summary: Just like the Titan from eons ago, Kirumi held the sky away from the Earth to protect the world. Just like the Titan from eons ago, Kirumi could not afford to falter in her selfless devotion for even one single second, or it would doom the entire nation. Just like the Titan from eons ago, Kirumi began to crumble. But what happens if Atlas falls? Will the whole world fall with him?
Kudos: 2





	Atlas

"Yes! The future of the country rests entirely on _her_ capable shoulders!" Monokuma cheered. Kirumi felt a cold sting in her heart in response to his shrill sneering, but it was _true_. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it was _all true_. The future of the country really _did_ rest entirely upon her shoulders. There was no one else as capable as she, so that was why she'd done what she'd done, and even though a tiny part of her _did_ regret it, an infinitely larger part did not.

 _I am like Atlas_ , she wanted to say. _I am the one who holds up the sky, and bears all of the greatest burdens. Never resting and always alone._ Just as Atlas held up the heavens to prevent them from crushing the Earth, so too do Kirumi Tojo hold up _her_ burdens to protect the country. And just like Atlas, she did it all alone and without complaint, because it was a burden she could _not_ set down. And so great was the weight of this burden that there was simply no time or energy left to complain! No emotion, no expression, no motion. Just stillness and silence. A stony pillar.

" _I can cast aside my personal feelings for the sake of serving everyone."_

And just like the wretched Titan in the stories, the others looked upon Kirumi in revilement. Horror, anger, disgust, fear, despair. It was in every face as they watched a very dear friend turn into a very wicked enemy. But although their dismay with her _did_ sting, a larger part of her was immune to their judgement. She knew this was coming. She couldn't pretend. She had resigned herself to it the second she saw her motive video.

Now all she did was stand there and stare right back at all the others, cold and unflinching. She stood proud and tall, still and silent. Neither her face nor her confidence wavered, even for a second, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. But everyone knew what she was _feeling_ : nothing. Just like Atlas, just like that stony pillar, she was feeling nothing. She hadn't been joking when she said she was willing to shut herself down and quiet all personal biases if that was what the situation required.

 _This was not a burden I chose to bear, but I must bear it all the same,_ she thought to herself, cold and resigned. _Perhaps I willingly chose to serve the nation and its citizens, but that does not mean I always enjoy what I must do in order to serve them to my fullest capabilities. But no matter what my personal feelings are, I must continue on, for_ that _is what it truly means to serve with selfless devotion!_

Reliable, sturdy, consistent, steady, enduring and unbreakable. That's what Kirumi had to be, so that's what she became…

"Kirumi! The country is in grave danger!" that was the summoning she'd received from the Prime Minister. Without hesitation, she reported to his office. The room was already full of other politicians, the most high-ranking in the country, but every single one of them bowed to her and stepped aside as soon as she entered the room. Although she was nothing more than a maid, her _skills_ as a maid were _legendary_ , and not a single person was foolish enough to give her anything less than their utmost respect. It was what she deserved, after all.

"What do you need me to do, Prime Minister?" she asked, sounding like someone far beyond her years. "Give me any request and I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities!"

"I need you to use your skills as the Ultimate Maid to protect this country!" he replied, hushed and urgent. "I transfer all my authority to you! Do you think you are up for the task?"

"Yes," Kirumi replied, not a single inflection or hesitation anywhere to be found in her face or voice. "I will stop at nothing to keep this country safe and I will do whatever you deem as necessary in order to take action against this unprecedented crisis," she vowed. Her eyes were calm and cold as she looked into his, accepting his request fully.

And when she had made that promise to the Prime Minister, it was a promise she took _very_ seriously. The promise was like her burden as well, something she made and carried and would never ever let go. It was not just the massive, crushing responsibility of bearing the weight of the entire country on her shoulders, it was also all the power she put behind her vow, her _oath_. She had _sworn_ to protect all of Japan's citizens, and she did not take promises lightly. Ever.

"I would bear the burden of being seen as evil for the sake of my nation and its people," Kirumi explained calmly. The others were still staring at her in disbelief, horror and disgust. But to Atlas, this was just a simple truth of life. It may not have been pleasant, but nor was the burden he was forced to carry, and he couldn't just deny such a massive weight on his back, now could he? So let the others fear her for the monstrous Titan that she was. It would not change the reality that this was a necessary evil she was willing to shoulder if it meant helping her carry her other burdens.

Even though cracks were appearing in Atlas' stoic façade (he had even broken down just a few minutes ago, ranting and raging against the gods and the heavens), he remained strong and firm. Stalwart and steadfast. He kept up his icy and aloof disposition, still unreadable in the eyes of the others. Already, Atlas was back at it again, holding the sky away from the Earth and standing straight and tall. Already, the meltdown was over, and Atlas was back to normal. But even though Kirumi was trying to explain calmly, her peers seemed incapable of comprehending.

"Why, Kirumi, why?!" they continued to cry. There were gasps of anguish. Could it really be? Was Atlas truly a traitor? Was the one who bore the sky a liar? Was this solid foundation nothing but a trap?

"That's right," Kirumi confirmed, and it was impossible to tell if she was reluctant to admit that or not. "I must survive. Because I carry the weight of an entire nation on my shoulders. I would not have killed Ryoma if I was so easily deterred…"

 _I am Atlas,_ she thought again. _I am the Holder of the Sky and Bearer of Great Burdens. I alone can save the world. It is a burden no one else may bear, except me. That is why I alone must live. Atlas must survive, or the entire world will crumble, and there is no other Atlas other than I. No one else could ever carry this weight as I do… And so, even now, I refuse to give up!_

But as her peers continued to eye her in distrust and distaste, she could sense her own solid ground beginning to slip out from beneath her. It was almost time to vote, and if she could not convince them now, they would destroy her, and in the process, they would destroy _each other_. They would doom an entire nation if she could not successfully bear this burden within the next few minutes.

"I have no choice," she began. " _You_ have no choice. _WE_ have no choice!" she was starting to slip away. Atlas was losing his grip on the sky. After all these years, so perfect a support, he was starting to buckle. "This is how it must be! There is no time for anything else! No time for trials or petty, senseless, baseless accusations! I must survive... no matter what it takes! I have to escape! I won't die here! I will live! I refuse to die in a hellhole like this! For my nation! For my people! I WILL NOT DIE!"

Just like Atlas before her, Kirumi was a slave to her position in the world. She could do nothing except remain beholden to her designated operative. All she could do was _run_. There was no time for thinking or feeling. No time for stopping, or even slowing. All she could do was run, and keep on bearing the weight of the world just as she always had. But that was because Atlas could not afford to let the sky fall, or the entire world would fall with him.


End file.
